Feed-water heater, condenser, and the like



H. C. DAVIS. FEED WATER HEATER, coNDENsER, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5| |920. 1,400,347. Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD C. DAVIS, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN MARINE EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

FEED-WATER HEATER, CONDENSER, AND THE LIKE.

Application led March 5,

To all fw hom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HOWARD C. DAVIS, a citizenl of the United States, residin at Elizabeth, in the county of Union and btate of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Water Heaters, Condensers, and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to feed-water heate-rs, condensers, and the like and more particularly to those in which the exchange of heat between two iiuids is effected by means of coils or`conduits through which one fluid passes and around which the other fluid is conducted. In such devices, now in common use, the condensation around one coil tends to drip upon and coat another portion of the same coil or upon other coils or contact surfaces disposed beneath it, and I have found that this coating of liquid condensation upon thev coils tends to retard the interchange of heat between the coil or contact surface and the surrounding fluid, thus very materially reducing the efliciency and capacity of such devices. My invention therefore has for one of its objects the provision of a construction whereby the dripping of the liquid condensation from one portion of the Contact surfaces upon other portions thereof will be reduced to a minimum.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and the novel features of my invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of one embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same, but with the section taken at right angles to that of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse the same, and l Fig. 4 is an elevation, showing a slightly modified construction.

Thefmain shell or casing l may be of any suitable shape, and has an opening in its side wall, providing access to its interior, which is normally covered by a door or closure 2, removably attached thereto, such as by bolts 3. Upon each side of the closure and extending parallel therewith and lengthwise of the casing, are a plurality of headers or conduits 4, 5 and 6, which are preferably cast integral with the casing. The

Vsectional plan of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

1920. serial No. 363,380.

headers 4 and 6 may be in axial alinement, but are independent of each other. The easing is divided into a plurality of compartments or chambers by a series of partitions or baiile plates 7, which preferably extend forwardly from the rear wall and alternately from opposite sides of the casing nearly across the interior thereof. Due to the fact that the baffle plates 7 extend from each side alternately nearly across the casing each chamber or compartment communicates with the adjoining chambers by passages which are not in alinement and which are arranged in a staggered relation thereby forming a tortuous ascending passage through the casing. Each plate extends nearly to but is spaced from the closure, so that adjacent the closure is a direct ascending passage'for a purpose to be hereinafter explained. l

Disposed within each chamber is a heat exchange or coil unit 8 which may be of any suitable construction, but preferably comprises a double coil of peculiar formation. It is made up of two sections, the convolutions of each section lying in the same plane with each other but in a plane parallel to those ofthe adjacent section. In forming the double coil, the pipe from which the same is produced is bent spirally inward from its periphery to form one section, is then bent downwardly and laterally from a point adjacent the center of the section to the plane of the adjoining section7 and is then bent spirally outward in the same direction to the periphery to form the second section. The terminals 9 and 10 of the coil are thus located at the periphery thereof, and when the coil is in place in the casing l, said terminals lie at points adjacent the opposite side edges of the door or closure 2. The coil is thus very compact, all sharp bends are avoided, the terminals are at the periphery so as to be readily accessible, and the coil units are rendered reversible, and interchangeable. Both sections of the coils are substantially parallel with the partition plates 7. One terminal 9 of each coil is removably connected to the header or conduit 5 by means of any suitable coupling 11. The other terminals l0 of part of the units are connected in a similar manner to the conduit or header 4, and the other terminals 10 of the remainder of the units are similarly connected to the conv Qi ' duit 6. Suitable valves 12 and 13, are arranged to supply a iuid through one conduit or header to the terminals 10V of one part or group of the coil units, theV fluid passing through this group of coils or. units into the common header or conduit 5, thence into the other part or group of the coils through their terminals 9, andl then' by means of their terminals 10 into the other conduit 0r header. A suitable conduit 14 and valve 15 are arranged to supply another iiuid to one portion of th-e casing and this fluid is removed from the casingthrough a suitable outlet 16 in another portion of the casing. Thus when the device isY used as a feed water heater or condenser, the feed or cooling water would be supplied to header or conduit 6 by means of valve13, from which it would pass through any or all of the coils connected thereto into the common head-er 5, then through .the other coils into the header or conduit 4, from which it is removed through valve 12. The steam or vapor to be condensed would be admitted to the casing by means of conduit .14 and would pass through the staggered passages in the plates or partitions, and also through the direct longitudinal passage adjacent the, door into all of the chambers formed by the partitions. The staggered passages assist inthe circulation and prevent pockets from being formed in the chambers, although other ventingV means could be employed, or these passages could be omitted entirely. The condensed fluid which is produced by the interchange of heat between the twofiuids, drops upon the partition beneath it and is conducted thereby either to one of the staggered openings therein through which it passes to the bottom of the next lower-chamber, or it passes into the direct channelbetween the partition plates and the closure, through which the condensed fluid passes directly to the bottom of the casing and does not drip successively from vone coil unit to another to retard the interchange of heat between the two fluids dueto the coating of the coils by the condensed fluid, which prevents the vaporous fluid surrounding the coils from coming `in contact with the coil surfaces. Only a small proportion of vthe condensed fluid will pass through the .staggered-f pas- Y sages since the major portion will pass to the bottom of the casing by thedirect passageway which is adjacent th-e closure.A If the coils project slightly beyond the partitions,

"as illustrated, afsmall area of each of the coils would be coated by the drippings of the condensed fluid from thecoils above'it, but'the Ymajor portion of each Vcoil would .Y Y notfbe affected thereby.. AnyV suitable trap may be connected to't-heimitlet`16` in order to provide for theV removal' of .the4V liquid condensation. The.cl-i 1ection'offiow through Ysaid chambers.

the coils Ymay be changed, if desired, byy

interchanging the supply pipesleading to thevalves 12 and 18.,

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a slightly modified embodimentin which Vtwo headers or conduits 17 vextending lengthwise of the casing are used, and between which all the coil units are connected. The'feed water or `coolingfiiuid' would enter through one of these headers, pass through the coils and leave the apparatus by means of the other header. i

While I have described my invention with reference to its use as a feed water heater, or a condenser, it is obviously not confined to this use, and may be used asY the medium for the interchange of heat between other and different fluids. Various other modifications may be made in the construction, as illus.- trated in the drawingsand above particularly described, within the principle and scope of my invention. Y i

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described,

a casing,a'plurality of partitions'in said'- casing. forming a pluralityV of chambers therein, said chambers being connected by alined passages leading from one chamber to another throughout the length of the casing, and conduits in said casing and passing through said chambers. i

. 2. Ina devicel of thecharacter described, a casing having Va removable side wall acting as 'a closure therefor, partitions insaid casingV extending adjacent to but spaced from said closure, and forming within said casing a plurality Aof vintercommunieating chambers, and conduits passing through 3. In a device 4of Ythe character described,

a'casing, a plurality of partitions extendingV transversely ofthe casing' to .formA within said casing'a yplurality of chambers, each chamber communicating with its Yadjacent chambers4 by alined passages and also Yby passages leading from opposite ends'theregf, and conduits passingthrough said cham# ers.

a casing having a removableside wall act- 4. 'In a device of the vcharacter described,

ing as a closure therefor, transverselpartitions within said lcasing; extending forwardly from the rear walland alternately from each side 'wallinearly across the cas-V ing, said partitions being adjacentv tobut" spaced from the closure wherebyfav passage extends lengthwise of thecasing and communicates with each'chamber formed by the Y partitions, and conduits passing throughi said; chambers.v

5 .In an apparatus ofthe character def scribed, vafcasing having afiremovable sideV i' wall facting'as a, closure therefor, rahty of coilu'nits disposed-withingsaidcasf ing, means for 'supplying a fluidi'toisaid 'coil units and for also removing it therefrom, partition plates disposed between adjacent coil units, and extending alternately from opposite sides of the casing nearly across the same, each plate also extending forwardly from the rear wall and adjacent to but spaced from the closure, and means for supplying a fluid to said casing at one portion thereof and removing it therefrom at another portion.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a casing provided with a plurality of conduits on opposite sides thereof, means adapted to supply a fluid to one of said conduits and means adapted to remove the fluid from another of 'said conduits, a plurality of coil units disposed within said casing, certain of said units connecting the conduit to which the fluid is adapted to be supplied with another of Said conduits, and certain of said units connecting the last mentioned conduit with the conduit from which the fluid is to be removed, plates disposed between the coil units, and means for supplying another fluid to the interior of the casing at one portion thereof and for removing it therefrom at another portion.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my signature.

HOWARD C. DAVIS. 

